The Future
by Bellatrix Lepus
Summary: Years after Merlin has defeated Mab she continues to haunt him in dreams. A Seer shows him the future without Mab, did he really make the right choice after all? R&R pweas, Navinia and Saphire are mine the rest are not.
1. I Dream of Mab

That wasn't the end of magick there was still something that played on Merlin's mind. Mab. Of course he had been right to help get rid of her hadn't he? He was sure it was better for the people but as much as he tried to convince himself he did it for them, he knew deep down he didn't. He destroyed her on a personal vendetta the fact that the Christians wanted rid of her also was just a bonus. Uther was dead now and so were Arthur, Mordred and Morgan. Not that Uther, Mordred, or Morgan would have been any help. Merlin had never thought of the after math of this war, the country had gone into ruin. The constant fights over who should get the crown, it went on for years. The people weren't being looked after; many of the children came to him for stories of the old days with Queen Mab.

Ironic in away, Mab was an escape for them, a creature of dreams, some children feared her others saw her as hope. They would never say as much though, they made little games up where they played out the scenes of his story. In some versions Mab was portrayed more as an evil crone in others she was the good fairy who promised happy endings. All the other adults thought Merlin was mad and that magick did never exist, how wrong they were. After he finally rescued Nimue he went to find Frik who refused to be returned to his youth as he couldn't bare to re-live life without Morgan. The three of them left to travel along with Sir Rupert, they slept out side as Nimue was so happy to be able to look and sleep under a real sky again. Merlin couldn't believe even through all of that Mab still came to him when he closed his eyes at night.

'I knew you would regret it.' She jibed even though she had lost the battle so long ago.

'I do not.' Merlin tried to argue.

'You do! The country is in ruins Merlin, and it is all your fault.' She hissed in that cold harsh voice.

They would have the same argument every night in his dreams whether it actually was her, he didn't know. She would then fade to the darkness and Mordred would appear.

'I hated my family, my dim witted mother, that thing not even fit to call it's self my father. Still you managed to kill them all, well done, I owe you thanks.' Mordred smirked.

'It was Mab who killed your mother, not I and you killed your father.' he said calmly.

'Yes but, that was to get me away to train me to help defeat you, other wise she wouldn't have bothered. My father had to die to help defeat you too.'

Mordred faded and Morgan appeared.

'Why did you make hew take my son? Why?! Whewe is Fwik?! I want my Fwick!' she would scream.

Morgan faded and Vortigern replaced her.

'I never thought you'd have the guts to kill someone yourself. You will never feel remorse for my death but what about Nimue's burns? She would never have got them if it wasn't for you.'

Arthur replaced Vortigern.

'You used me as some mere pawn Merlin, you said you were my friend.' He called out sadly.

He would fade and for the rest of the dream he would be on a forest floor just like the one he slept on except Nimue, Frik and Sir Rupert would not be there, Mab would. She would stare at him with those unforgiving eyes and he would look back at her tears stinging at his own. Tonight there was a difference he stood up.

'I may be responsible for some of those deaths but so are you!' he shouted at her. 'You are just as responsible as I!' he was raging, that dream had plagued him for so long.

After the main events finished it was usually just, him, Mab and silence. The experience of the dream got more painful every time he fell asleep. Mab smiled and in a split second she moved and they were face to face.

'For once you are correct Merlin, but you are to blame for thousands, millions, of more deaths.'

Merlin blinked this was a new occurrence it was odd and he didn't understand what she meant. Mab seemed to notice this.

'You must travel to the land of magick and find a wood nymph called Navinia. Only she can take you to Saphire, the seer. She has more powerful visions than either you or I.' she seemed slightly sad.

'Why should I trust you? This is just a dream anyway, your just an illusion. Aren't you?' he said unsure.

She chuckled.

'**Oh Merlin if you really thought that you wouldn't bother arguing with me.'**


	2. Navinia the Nymph

This time when he arrived at the entrance to the land of magick there was no boat or Lady of the Lake to help him. He jumped into the water and began to swim in, a couple of times he saw something in the water but ignored it. He was just about to pull himself up at the dry ledge on the other side when something grabbed him under the water and pulled him down. He fought against the creature which had long hair a fish like tail and alien like face. It ripped and pulled at him, he must have been very far under now. As oxygen left him the last thing he saw was another of the creature. He began to wake up again his eyes stung he was still under water, something was helping him breath. It was one of the creatures, it made him feel slightly sick against it's slimy mouth. Cold air slapped across his face.

It roughly flung him to the solid ground.

'You are lucky we are under orders not to kill you, we may not be so accommodating on your departure!' it dived back under splashing him.

It's voice shrill though possibly male, Merlin gasped for air. When he got to his feet he was knocked back down again with a speeding blur. A cruel hiss like laughter came from every possible direction, it sounded like Mab's. It wasn't a single laugh though it was many creatures laughing, he looked around seeing hundreds of eyes. Large and small, all staring at him from the darkness.

'It's the traitor!' one screamed in delight.

Others also called out traitor some spoke in different languages but as he got to his feet again he knew they couldn't kill him, they were ordered not to.

Merlin began to pursue his way through the land of magick. It was rotting the whole place, once a paradise, looked like a forest of death. Apart from the laughing he heard a terrible sound it was high pitched wailing. He approached a group of figures about 15 of them lying over rocks. They were making the noise, some were hugging trees, others rocks. As he approached the figures they seemed to get louder, they almost looked human apart from there pointy ears. All were female and the only thing that clothed them was a curtain of hair which fell from there head to there ankles. This is probably why Frik had been so uncomfortable around them. Merlin cleared his throat.

'Do any of you know where I could find Navinia?' he asked.

They screamed and cried louder, a small blonde haired girl around the age of six stood up her face tear stained. A crown of flowers rested on her head though they wilted, she did not speak, guessing this was Navinia Merlin followed silently. Two other nymphs who were much older continued to scream and cry as they grabbed either side of Merlin. All four of them blurred through the trees. They arrived at what was like a meeting at a grave yard. There was a single stone bed covered with a white silk sheet on top of that lay a woman who he couldn't see yet. Different creatures surrounded her hunched over silently not moving, perhaps not alive. The two nymphs fell to the floor screaming and crying louder, they then blurred away. Merlin looked at Navinia.

'I am…sorry.' He said quietly.

She said nothing a single tear rolled down her cheek and she vanished.


	3. Broken Hearted World

The place was silent once more, he was afraid to move.

'Come closer.' A faint voice spoke he wasn't even sure if it was the woman but went over.

'See what you have done?' she said, a grim smile curled round her lips.

'Are you Saphire?' he asked.

'Yes and you already knew that.' Her eyes appeared shut as he couldn't find them.

'I was just making sure, this may seem an odd question but-'

'They cry because there forest is dying the magick is leaving it now Mab is dead and the other creatures would rather destroy you, traitor, to avenge Mab, and I know Mab sent you. Now enough hoax pleasantries I don't have a lot of time. Look into my eyes.'

Merlin looked at her face trying to find her eyes. Two large blue tears reaching from her head to where her eyes should be opened, she looked a little like a bug. He drew back and gasped.

'Hurry! We are running out of time!'

He wondered what she meant.

'What will happen if I look into your eyes?'

'You will see the future now without Mab.'

Merlin sighed then did as he was asked, he fell into blackness. Different centuries shot past him, witches burned. The oddest contraptions existed that looked to be magickal them selves though they were not, people wore the oddest of fashions, there hair looked to be many colours, woman wore trousers, wars broke out everywhere, all religions were accepted to an extent but most people believed in nothing, great events happened and terrible ones, children were killing each other, the world was larger than he ever imagined and there contraptions were destroying it.

In his last vision the world exploded his heart ached with such a pain he couldn't bare it he fell to the floor in agony.

'You see what you have done? With no one to truly believe in the people of the world go to ruin, and in the end they kill themselves. The sad thing is when we are forgotten we cease to exist and they do not care.'

He began to cry.

'I didn't mean that to-'

'Good bye Merlin.' She drifted off.

'Wait!' he stood up quickly but was just in time to see her vanish like Mab.

The bug like eyes closed for the last time.

So this was the future without Mab and it was a greater punishment than if Mab had actually killed him.


	4. A Mad Request

His eyes slammed shut, he hit an unconscious form, only to be greeted by a gloating Mab.

'Well? Still think you made the right choice Merlin?'

'I…no…I mean…' his heart hurt so much even in this dream land it hurt to breath, to talk, to think.

Mab chuckled darkly.

'I'm so glad it was worth destroying me.'

Something clicked with in him.

'It wasn't real was it? It was an illusion just like when you made me watch the others?' it started of an announced thought and ended in a growl.

'Don't be so stupid! I'm dead, so to speak, what kind of power do you think I have?' she rolled her eyes.

'No you don't, but I'd bet that Saphire did. She would have used her last breath to make me regret destroying you.'

She glared at him seeming actually offended.

'I'd never do that to one of my creatures just to get revenge.'

Merlin laughed.

'Mab I have known you a long while and that is exactly what a twisted bitch like you would do.'

She slapped him and in anger Merlin tried to strike her back to his shock she knocked him down just like she had all those years ago.

'You have your power back!' he sounded surprised as he lay on the ground.

'No, this is only a dream Merlin. I'd thank you not to anger me like that again, you should remember I am here because I died fighting for creatures like Saphire.' She hissed in her hoarse voice.

'The only thing you fought to save was yourself!' he tried to use his own power but to no avail.

'Oh Merlin.' She laughed, in a split second she was beside him. 'You can't use your power here.'

'Why not? It's my dream!'

'I am a goddess of dreams, something of a mother to you,' He snorted. 'And because I can.'

'Ok, then why did you drag me here to see something you had dreamt up? So the rest of people can kill me when I leave. I still have my power you know.'

She nodded.

'You mistake my intention that honestly was the future; I could never imagine such a place.'

He considered for a moment that the place was real.

'So you showed me to torture me for the rest of my life. How very Mab of you.'

She drew her head up and drew her cloak away from him.

'Well yes and no. You get a choice in this-'

Merlin raised an eye brow.

'A choice? That's a first.'

Mab glared at him.

'I tire of your interruptions Merlin.'

'You've been interrupting my life since before I was born.'

'Oh shut up and listen to me!' she hissed clearly annoyed now.

He sighed.

'Your choice is wake up and feel the same heart wrenching pain of what you have done affect you every day until you die or…help me. Bring me back.'

Slowly Merlin turned so he could lock his eyes with hers he then burst into a fit of laughter. She stared at him like he had gone insane.

'You aren't being serious?...You can't be serious…You're actually being serious aren't you?'

'Oh good you've caught up.'

'I would rather die a thousand deaths than help you.'

The reaction she had been expecting.

'I gave you your precious Nimue back didn't I?'

'No. Your magick wore off.'

'You always were forever underestimating me; my magick does not wear off.'

He shook his head silently.

'Of course it doesn't that would be too simple. Kill Mab, nope she still comes back. Turn a religion nope she's still here. Blow up the world; she'll get a Seer to destroy her "creation." You're like a sickness!'

She laughed at him again.

'Enough of the dramatics Merlin.'

He glared at her showing pure hate and got to his feet.

'I may feel a lot of pain and heart ache, the world may blow up, I still wont help you, the people are better of without you.'

Her eyes widened in shock.

'Even if it means death?'

Merlin walked over to her they were inches apart and he spoke in a deadly whisper.

'Especially if it means death. That'll be the end of you, so why don't you do world a favour and just go to Hell.'

She looked down and seemed to shove him away.

He realised he had woke up.


End file.
